SCOTCH PLAINS – After managing a Panera Bread and driving for Uber, U.S. Air Force veteran and Randolph resident Ken Ventre found himself yearning for his next big career move.

Finding it difficult to find a job that fit his job experience, Ventre posted to Facebook, asking his friends if they had any job leads.

“An old friend of mine from high school contacted me and asked me if I had any interest in working at his father’s new BBQ restaurant — one that focused on hiring and serving veterans and other community heroes. I was intrigued,” Ventre said.

Ventre quickly rose from meat cutter in January 2017 at the Randolph location to store manager to director of operations at American Heroes Smokehouse (AHS), a five-location barbecue chain focused on honoring veterans founded by Raritan resident Ed Danberry, a U.S. Army veteran with a long family history of military service. [View More]